Portable sauna cabinet



Sept- 13, 1966 w. M. JQY 3,271,786

PORTABLE SAUNA CABINET Filed Feb. '7, 1964 United States Patent O3,271,786 PORTABLE SAUNA CABINET William M. Joy, 1615 N. River Road, St.Clair, Mich. Filed Feb. 7, 1964, Ser. No. 343,286 12 Claims. (Cl. 4-160)This invention relates to an improved portable heating cabinet and, morespecifically to an improved portable heating cabinet intended to beoccupied by human beings for therapeutic purposes.

Cabinets of the type involved in the present invention are particularlyadaptable for use in the well known Finnish sauna which involves theprocess of heating the body for a specified length of time and thencooling the body by plunging in icy water or the more recent method oftaking la cold shower or the like. One form of prior art bathhouses usedfor this purpose comprises a small shed or like structure which wouldaccommodate several persons and is usually located outside the maindwelling house. Typically, the lower portion of the shed is suppliedwith rocks or other heat retaining materials which are heated from somesource of fuel such as charcoal, wood or the like and the heat isradiated into the upper portion of the structure. The humidity in thebath is periodically increased in the cabine-t by spraying water on therocks to produce super heated steam which rises into the main chamber ofthe bathhouse. In other cases, custom installations of sauna rooms havebeen made in homes and other large buildings. These are quite expensiveand have used large fuel burning stoves which must be vented.

There are many shortcomings in the systems described `above which areovercome by the instant invention. For example, in order to properlyheat the rocks, great quantities of charcoal or other fuel must beburned and care must be taken to isolate the re to the area where thestones are located. Also, provision must be made for the removal of theashes left after the fuel is burned. In vmany units this involves movingthe rocks and then replacing them when the burning area has beencleaned. Further, means must be provided to supply the area wherein therocks are being heated with a source of water spray to produce the steamto periodically raise the humidity in the interior of the bathhouse.This involves complex plumbing, spray heads, etc., all of which increasethe cost of the structure. In addition to its cost, a custom-built saunaroom occupies a substantial amount of space.

As is noted from the above description of the prior art, there is a lackof portability in these bathhouses or rooms. As stated above, thetypical bathhouse was constructed outside the main house, thus makingthe unit inconvenient to use in private. A need has developed for aheated enclosure which may be used in the privacy of ones own room andmay be moved about from room to room for use by different guests of ahotel, lodge or the like. Furthermore, a portable unit may be moved byits owner when he moves to a new horne or apartment.

The instant invention is calculated to substantially alleviate theaforementioned problems and provide portability and convenience to theuser. Generally, a preferred embodiment of the cabinet of the instantinvention comprises means for enclosing a space to be heated and aheating unit which is self-contained except for a source of power. Theenclosing means is desirably fabricated of a laminate composed ofdecorated fiber board for the outside layer such as that sold under thetrade name Masonite and redwood or other suitable wood which does notretain heat, for the interior. The core is formed of a suitable cellularplastic foam such as polystyrene, polyurethane or the like havingcertain desirable characteristics such as substantial rigidity, heatinsulation, crush resistance, etc.

Situated within the cabinet is a support means or chair extending theentire width of the cabinet which also serves to provide additionalsupport to the structure by the manner in which the support means isattached to the walls. The seat supporting members of the chair arebolted or otherwise fastened to the interior walls of the cabinet andsuitable seat slats are fastened to these supporting members by screws,nails or the like.

Located behind the seat and fastened to one wall of the cabinet is aheating means which operates to heat the air within the cabinet. Theheater is located behind the seat so to utilize normally unused space,thus making the cabinet extremely compact. The geometry of the back ofthe seat creates a chimney effect between the back of the seat and oneof the walls thus drawing the heated air upwardly from the heatersituated immediately below the back of the chair. In this manner the airis most efficiently circulated and the main compartment of the cabinetis uniformly heated. A suitable access door is provided in the wall toenable the user to service the heating unit from outside the cabinet.

An extremely important feature of the instant invention is the minimalhorizontal and vertical dimensions of the cabinet assembly which arepresented to the vertical plane of a standard door presently used inresidence homes. As was mentioned above, a need has developed for aheating cabinet assembly which may be moved from room to room to the usethereof in different locations. The instant cabinet assembly has been sodevised that the minimum horizontal and vertical dimension of thecabinet assembly, which may be presented to a doorway, are no greaterthan the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the vertical planedefined by that doorway. Thus, with proper dimensioning of the cabinetassembly and suitable low friction sliding or rolling means on thebottom thereof, the assembly may readily be moved from room to room forprivate use.

Certain conveniences may be provided within the cabinet for the comfortof the user. These include a magazine rack and dome light to enable theuser to read during the heating period. The unit utilizes dry air in theheating of the cabinet, therefore there is no problem of steam toobscure the users vision or wet the pages of a magazine or book. Also, avent fan may be provided to quickly ven-t the cabinet of hot air orlower the temperature within the cabinet and a thermostat to enable theuser to determine the temperature within the cabinet. Further, there isprovided a hand-hold to facilitate the exit of the user from the chairand it so situated to give the user aid in getting up and out of thechair. Additionally, a sun lamp may be mounted within the unit to tan anoccupant while a sauna bath is being taken.

Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide animproved heating cabinet.

Another object of the invention is to provide a heating cabinet of thetype described that is compact land readily transportable from place toplace through various doorways of a building.

Another object of the invention is to provide a heating cabinet of thetype described that is completely self-contained with the exception of apower supply.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide Ia heatingcabinet which provides excellent heat insulation characteristics and maybe heated to relatively high temperatures with a small heating unit.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a heatingcabinet of the type described which produces an even heat, which iscomfort-able and convenient for the occupant to use, and which permitsthe simultaneous pursuit of other activities such as sun bathing orreading.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a heatingcabinet of the class described, the interior of which is constructedsuch that the user is not burned on coming in contact with the walls orseat.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a heating cabinetthat is strong in construction and durable in use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a heating cabinetof the class described which is simple land inexpensive to fabricate.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome 'apparent from the subsequent description and the appendedclaims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of a heating cabinet embodying certainprinciples of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view partially broken away of the heatingunit of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of the details of the wallconstruction of the heating cabinet as taken along line 3 3 of FIGURE 2;and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of the heating element of the cabinet astaken along line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 to 3 of the drawing, there is illustratedgenerally a heating cabinet assembly 5 of a type adapted to be used inthe well known Finnish sauna bath. The cabinet is completely enclosed byfour walls, 6 9, a to-p 11 and bottom 13 and entrance to the cabinet isgained through a suitable door 14. These last named members 6-14 are allconstructed of a similar heat insulating laminate such as that describedabove, with the exception of the hinges and like metal elements.

As best illustrated in FIGURE 3, the laminate consists of a rigidsubstance on the outside, such as Masonite, suitably decorated to forman esthetically pleasing outer surface. The inner surface 17 of thecabinet 5 is preferably formed of smoothly finished boards of redwoodwhich are suitably joined as by a tongue-in-groove construction. Redwoodis particularly well suited for use in the interior because of itscharacteristic of heat resistance, i.e. inability to absorb and retainheat. It is to be understood that any substance may be used which may beplaced in a heated environment, such as that of cabinets of this type,and the substance will not heat up to the degree that the occupant willfeel discomfort if contact with the substance is made. In this mannerthe user will not be burned by coming in contact with an interior wallwhich could become heated to a relatively high Itemperature if othermaterials were used.

The core 19 of the lamina-te is formed of a suitable plastic foam whichhas the characteristics of being substantially rigid and crush proof, aheat insulator and an ability to be interleaved between the inner andouter layer of the wall. As was stated above, two plastic foams whichhave the requisite characteristics are polystyrene and polyurethanefoam. These foams provide the necessary heat insulation to preclude heatloss through the walls, are crush-proof to provide rigidity in the walland floor structure, are inexpensive to purchase and otherwise areparticularly adaptable for this use. Suitable corner supports 21 areprovided to hold the walls in position and further rigidize the entirestructure. The supports 21 are formed of a metal or the like and may beglued or fastened by screws to the walls 6 9.

The interior of the cabinet 5 is provided with a chair 23 which is sodesigned as to serve several purposes which will be pointed out as thedescription proceeds. Both sides of the chair 23 are similarlyconstructed and, for simplicity, only one side will be described herein.'Ihe chair 23 is formed with a frame member 25 which is fastened to theside wall 9 by screws 16 or the like. Formed in side member 25 is anotch 29 which is so located as to receive a side member 31, which,along with a leg member 33, is positioned to support a seat at acomfortable height from floor 13. Fastened to and supported by members27, 29 and 31 are a plurality of slats 35, 36 and 37 which are socontoured by the members 215, 27 and 31 as to comfortably conform to thehuman form in a semireclining seated position. The slats 35 form theseat portion of the chair 23 supporting the major portion of Ithe usersweight. The slats 36 support the back of the occupant and the slots 37form a headrest. It is seen that the slats 35, 36 and 37 are so attachedto the side walls 7, 9 by means of members 25, 27, 29 and 31 that theseat forms an extremely rigid support for the side walls 7, 9. Also,this arrangement of the seat structure provides a simple method ofsupporting the seat and the two assemblies interact to enhance thesupport characteristics of each other.

All the members 27, 29, 31 and 33 and seat forming slats 35, 36 and 37are also fabricated of redwood or a wood having similar characteristicsto insure that the user will not be burned by any heat retention abilityof other types of wood which could be used. As was stated above, redwooddoes not absorb or retain heat and thus precludes this problem. It is tobe noted that the slats 27 attached to the members 27 form a chimneylike chamber with members 27 and back wall 8 for a purpose to behereinafter explained.

Immediately to the rear of the chair 23 between members 25 and back wall8 is a space which normally would remain empty. It has been discoveredby applicant that this space is particularly suited for the location ofa heating unit 39 due to certain unique geometric characteristics of thechair structure 213 with respect to the wall 8 and oor 13.

Referring particularly to FIGURES 2 and 4, there is illustrated thereinthe heating unit 39 which supplies the necessary heat for `the interiorof the cabinet 5. The unit 39 comprises a pair of heating elements 41which are energized through conductors L13` -by a suitable source ofelectrical energy (not shown) such as the volt service normally supplieda residence. The two heating elements 41 are supported by a pair of rods45 which are suitably insulated from the heating elements 41 as byinsulators 46 and spaced from each other by a pair 0f sheet metalsupport plates 47a and 4711. The plate 47a is formed with an integralbase 48 supported on the floor. The lower edge of the support plate 47his spaced above the base 48 thereby leaving an opening for thecirculating of air past the heating elements 41. The space between theplates 47a and 47b may be termed a heating chamber and it will be seenthat this chamber is open at its top as well as at its lower end. Theheating unit 39 is suitably heat insulated from the wall 8 and floor 13by means of asbestos sheets 49 and from chair structure 213 by anasbestos sheet 51. An access door 52 is provided closely adjacent theheating unit 39 so that the unit may easily be serviced from theexterior of the cabinet 5. Thus, it is seen that the cabinet 5 isprovided with a heating unit that is self-contained in all respects withthe exception of a source of electrical energy.

As was stated above, members 27, rear wall S and slats 37 form a chimneylike chamber immediately above the heating unit 39. As the airimmediately adjacent the heating unit 39 is heated, it rises through thechimney like chamber to a main interior chamber above and in front ofthe seat 23. The coolest air in the cabinet will be near the floor 13and it will ow under the seat slats 35 and under the plate 7b to thespace between the plates 47a and 4711 where it is warmed. It will,therefore, be seen that the cabinet is heated by convection with the airfollowing a recirculating path from the main interior of the cabinet,under the seat slats 35, under the lower edge of the outer support plate47b, through heating unit 39, up through the chimney like chamber andback to the main interior chamber.

The circulatory flow of air established by convection heating provides amost eicient and uniform heating of the main interior chamber. It is tobe further noted that the apparatus contemplates using heated dry airrather than the steam as used by the prior art devices. With the dryair, the occupant may more comfortably withstand higher temperatures andoccupy the time spent in the cabinet by reading or other like diversionswithout having the steam obscuring 4his Vision or moisten the pages ofthe book or magazine. Further, experience has shown that steam heat mayhave an enervating effect upon the user rather than the restful,invigorating result produced by the dry heat of the herein disclosedcabinet.

The cabinet also contains certain convenience features to furtherenhance the comfort of the user. Thus, a magazine rack 53 is .providedto store magazines for ready access to the user. To provide the lightnecessary to read the magazines or books during the period in thecabinet, a suitable dome light 55 is provided to aid the natural lightprovided by a window 56 (FIGURE l) situated above the chair 23. To aidthe user in getting in and out of the chair 23, a hand-hold 57 isprovided. The handhold 57 is so positioned in height as to help theoccupant raise himself to the upright position and suticiently in frontof the chair 23 to help him pull himself horizontally out of the chair23. Also, the hand-hold 57 may be used as a towel rack to support atowel which may be used in the cabinet.

A sun lamp 58 is shown as being mounted on the interior of the frontwall 6 so as to shine on the face or other parts of the body of theoccupant. The lamp 58, which incorporates its own oft-on control,permits the user to take `a sun bath simultaneously while taking a saunabath.

Situated `over the chimney like chamber is -an exhaust fan 59 to rapidlyexhaust the heated air from the interior of the cabinet. This feature isparticularly useful when the user has allowed the temperature in thecabinet to become too hot or the perspiration of the user has introducedtoo much moisture into the air in the cabinet. The exhaust fan 59 iscontrolled by on-oif switch 61 mounted above the chair 23. A thermostat63 is mounted within the cabinet in easy reach of the user and isadapted to be set to any desired temperature f-or controlling theoperation of the heating unit 39.

Mounted atop the cabinet 5 is 4a suitable control chamber 65 4containingall the necessary controls for the cabinet. Mounted on one face thereofis an on-oif switch 67 with tan indicating Ilight 69 mounted adjacentthereto which is illuminated at such time as the heater 39 is turned on.Also mounted on the face of the housing 65 is an on-oic switch 71 toAcontrol the dome light 55. It is to be understood that chamber 65 maycontain suitable automatic temperature controls such as the type whichcontrol the amount of electrical energy to heater 39 in response to thesensed temperature in the cabinet 5 as by thermostat 63. The thermostat63 is adjustable and the occupant may choose any desired operatingtemperature which is consistent with personal comfort. Such controlsystems are well known in the art and need not be further discussedhere. It is to be further understood that a control system may beprovided which raises the temperature in the cabinet to the deslredoperating temperature by steps which are preselected in both durationand magnitude.

The base of the cabinet 5 is -provided with wheels 73 mounted in castersto facilitate the movement of the unit from place to place. In order tomove the unit from room to room of la dwelling, the walls 6, 8 are sodimensioned as to pass through the standard doorway found in themajority of homes or buildings. In this manner, the unit is readilymoved from -room t-o roorn to enable the successive use of the unit indifferent rooms of a hotel, lodge or the like. Nothing, Aother than asource of electrical energy, is required to operate the unit as it isentirely self-contained, Thus, the only limitation on where the unit maybe used is the limitation of available power.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiment -of theinvention disclosed is well calculated to fulfill the objects abovestated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible tomodification, variation and change without departing from the properscope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable, self-contained heating cabinet for the therapeutictreatment of .a human comprising:

a plurality of wall members defining an interior chamber within saidcabinet assembly,

means for sup-porting a human within the interior chamber,

vertical means supported spaced from one of said walls 4and cooperatingtherewith to form a vertical chimney like chamber in pneumaticcommunication with said interior chamber, and

a heating chamber having electrical heating means contained therein forconvection heating air in said heating chamber,

said heating chamber being positioned below said chimney like chamberand in pneumatic communication with both said interior chamber and saidchimney like chamber,

establishing a ow of air from said interior chamber, through saidheating chamber and through said chimney like chamber.

2. A portable, self-contained 'heating cabinet for the therapeutictreatment of humans comprising:

a plurality of wall members and a floor member forming a heating chamberin said cabinet assembly,

chair means supported in said heating chamber having a substantiallyvertical portion and a substantially horizontal portion,

said vertical portion being spaced closely adjacent one of sai-d wallmembers and forming a chimney like cham-ber therewith,

said horizontal portion being spaced closely adjacent said oor memberand forming an air flow chamber therewith, and

a heating chamber having electrical heating means contained therein forconvection heating air in the cabinet, said heating chamber beingpositioned intermediate said chimney like chamber and said air flowchamber and in pneumatic communication therewith,

said heater establishing a ilow of air which proceeds from said air flowchamber, through said heating chamber and through said chimney likechamber.

3. portable, self-contained heating cabinet assembly comprising:

a pair of spaced parallel walls, a chair interposed between saidparallel walls and attached thereto having a back portion and a seatportion,

a back wall in abutting relation to said parallel walls and spacedclosely adjacent said back portion and forming a chimney like chambertherewith,

a heating chamber having electrical heating means contained therein forheating air in the cabinet,

said heating chamber being positioned immediately below said chimneylike chamber and in pneumatic communication therewith, and

floor means downwardly spaced from said seat portion and forming an airow chamber therewith in pneumatic communication with ysaid heating cham-'ber and horizontally spaced therefrom,

said heater establishing a flow of air which proceeds from said air flowchamber, through said heating chamber and through said chimney likechamber.

4. The heating cabinet of claim 1 wherein said human support meansincludes chair means, said chair means comprising a plurality of supportmeans attached to at least two of said wall members defining a generallychair shaped contour to conform to the seated human, and means fastenedto said support means at an upper edge -thereof for providing a seatingsurface and rigidize the spacing `between said at least two of said wallmembers.

5. The heating cabinet of claim 1 wherein said human support meansincludes a chair means, said chair means comprising a plurality of framemembers attached to at least two of said wall members dening a generallychair shaped contour having a back portion and a seat portion, slatsfastened to one edge of said frame members to form back and seatsupports for said chair means and form supports for said at least twowall members.

6. The heating cabinet f claim 1 further including artificial sunlightmeans supported within said interior chamber and adapted to shine on theface and other parts of the body of the human for permitting sunbathingof the human within said interior chamber.

7. The heating cabinet of claim 1 further including means mounted onsaid cabinet for providing a substantially frictionless contact areawhereby said cabinet may be slid from room to room.

8. The portable, self-contained heating cabinet assembly of claim 1,said cabinet being adapted to be moved from room to room of a buildingby advancing said cabinet through a doorway dening a vertical planehaving a horizontal and a vertical dimension, said cabinet furthercomprising means mounted on said cabinet for providing a substantiallyfrictionless contact area whereby said cabinet may be slid from room toroom, said enclosing means being so dimensioned when in its uprightposition as to present a maximum horizontal dimension that is less thanthe horizontal dimension of the vertical plane and a maximum verticaldimension that is less than the vertical dimension of the vertical planeas said enclosing means is moved through the vertical plane.

9. The portable, self-contained heating cabinet assembly of claim 1,said cabinet being adapted to be moved from room to room of a buildingby advancing said cabinet through a doorway dening a vertical planehaving a horizontal and a vertical dimension, said cabinet furthercomprising means mounted on said cabinet for providing a substantiallyfrictionless contact area whereby said cabinet may be slid from room toroom, said enclosing means having a minimum horizontal dimension that isless than the horizontal dimension of the vertical plane and a minimumvertical dimension that is less than the vertical dimension of thevertical plane to enable said cabinet assembly to `be moved through thedoorway when in its upright position.

10. The heating cabinet assembly of claim 1 wherein said walls beingformed of a laminate comprising, a layer of rigid, pressed fiber formingone outside surfac-e of said laminate, a layer of heat resistant, rigidwood forming the other outside surface of said laminate, and a corelayer of heat insulating fire resistant, crush proof foamed plasticinterleaved between said fiber layer and said wood layer.

11. The heating cabinet assembly of claim 1 wherein said walls beingformed of a laminate comprising a layer of rigid, pressed fiber formingone outside surface of said laminate, a layer of heat resistant, rigidwood forming the other outside surface of said laminate, and a corelayer of heating insulating fire resistant, crush proof formed plasticinterleaved between said fiber layer and said wood layer, said supportmeans being formed of a like material as said other outside surface ofsaid laminate.

12. The cabinet assembly of claim 11 wherein said wood layer is redwood.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 910,381 1/1909Hermann 128-377 1,772,219 8/1930 Kempton 12S-372 1,845,376 2/1932 Weld313-112 2,846,692 8/1958 Baumann 4160 2,875,117 2/1959 Potchen et al.161-161 3,000,144 9/1961 Kitson 161-161 3,111,787 11/1963 Chamberlain50-83 FOREIGN PATENTS 822,880 11/1951 Germany. 71,411 12/1946 Norway.

OTHER REFERENCES Build a Family Sauna, December 1964 Popular Mechanics,pages 124-129 and page 184. (Copy in Group 360, 4-160).

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

H. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner.

1. A PORTABLE, SELF-CONTAINED HEATING CABINET FOR THE THERAPEUTICTREATMENT OF A HUMAN COMPRISING: A PLUARLITY OF WALL MEMBERS DEFINING ANINTERIOR CHAMBER WITHIN SAID CABINET ASSEMBLY, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING AHUMAN WITHIN THE INTERIOR CHAMBER, VERTICAL MEANS SUPPORTED SPACED FROMONE OF SAID WALLS AND COOPERATING THEREWITH TO FORM A VERTICAL CHIMNEYLIKE CHAMBER IN PNEUMATIC COMMUNICATION WITH SAID INTERIOR CHAMBER, ANDA HEATING CHAMBER BEING POSITIONED BELOW SAID CHIMNEY LIKE CHAMBER ANDIN PNEUMATIC COMMUNICATION WITH BOTH SAID INTERIOR CHAMBER AND SAIDCHIMNEY LIKE CHAMBER, ESTABLISHING A FLOW OF AIR FROM SAID INTERIORCHAMBER THROUGH SAID HEATING CHAMBER AND THROUGH SAID CHIMNEY LIKECHAMBER.